Week 7 of our sermon series: “The Effective Life”
Growing in godliness is a life long endeavor. 2 Corinthians 7:1
What is godliness? Godliness is simply becoming more like God every day. And since Jesus Christ is the earthly image of God (Hebrews 1:3), godliness is becoming like Jesus Christ .
TRUTH: The essence of the Christian life is to increasingly resemble Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9-12, Peter tells us what godliness is all about, and it starts with knowing who we are (identity).
Godliness only begins when you truly meet God through Jesus Christ. This happens in the process of salvation.
Peter zeroes in on 3 specific ideas about our identity in Christ:
- You are God’s Possession . To add godliness to your life you must remember to Whom you belong. He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- You are God’s Pilgrim. Peter use the idea of being a traveler passing through this life on the way to eternal life in heaven. (Psalm 84:5; 1 Peter 1:1; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Peter 2:11). One of the signs of godliness is increasingly wanting to be where Jesus is.
- You are God’s Platform. You are the platform from which God proclaims His message to the world. To grow in godliness, we have to work hard to maintain our own honorable conduct.
How is godliness shown in our lives?
- Godliness is about Ownership: Live like you belong (to God). 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 1:6-7; Romans 14:8
- Godliness is about Citizenship: Keep your eyes on heaven. Colossians 3:2; 2 Peter 3:10-11, 13-14
- Godliness is about Stewardship: Carry out your assignment. 2 Corinthians 5:25
1 Timothy 4:7 -immerse yourself in Jesus to become more godly.